KEVIN SMITH FOR SHTC BOARD OF DIRECTORS (PAGELAND)

I'm running for the 672 exchange (I encourage others to run as well, in Jefferson, Bethune, and even Pageland). I admire and respect the current board members, but this is a company owned by all of us and we need people that represent the majority of the customers of SHTC. We need people in running our company that have an understanding of the expectations we - customers in 2017 - have regarding our internet, phone (really? we still have to have a landline phone?), and television services. It's not 1955 anymore. It's not 1980 anymore. It's not even 2000 anymore. We need fresh eyes. Fresh ears. We need transparency into the business of SHTC. It is our company. We deserve to know what the meetings are about. We deserve to know how the board voted on the issues at hand and what was discussed (and did they understand what they were voting for or talking about?). I understand that we are a small community and we don't have the growth that metropolitan areas have and have limited investment capabilities. But we need to know what those limitation and capabilities are. SHTC is a coop, meaning it is OUR company. We are the owners. It's been treated liked a private company for far too long, either through their management or our own lack of understanding or care that SHTC belongs to us. This needs to change. I'm running not of of disrespect for current management, but at some point you need to shake the hands of the people that built a good company, smile, and say "good job, but everything is different now...we'll take it from here." For the past seventeen years I've been a network administrator, systems administrator, IT director, web design specialist, applications specialist, database manager, phone systems manager, and many other aspects of my career that can't even be titled. In my position at Screwmatics, I am all of those things as well as handling special projects to make sure we as a company move in the future being technologically competitive and marketable. SHTC needs the same thing. The SHTC staff is top notch and filled with very capable employees that go above and beyond duty for the services they perform. They, too, need a board that understands the rigors and challenges of their roles and responsibilities. I'll post more going forward, but our biggest challenge is getting people to the meeting to vote. Whether I or anyone else running is elected, let's hope it's someone that can express these things to the incumbent board members and management of SHTC. Let's hope it's someone that understands that the community that owns SHTC has felt they've been left in the dark far too long and wants to do something about it.